Chapter 33: Bratva Prince: Chapter 33

I was nervous, which was strange for me because I didn’t get nervous. Under any circumstances. I could be facing a room full of people with guns pointed at my head and my hands cuffed behind my back and I’d shrug it off, not the least bit concerned.

But this?

Yeah, I was nervous.

I wasn’t scared. Scared and nervous were two very different things. This meeting with Juan was like child’s play for me. I’d been in situations far worse than the one currently in front of me.

What made me anxious was the outcome of this meeting. What it would result in. Either an all out war with The Los Zetas, or Drea leaving. Leaving me.

I know it shouldn’t matter. In six months’ time, I’ll be marrying Anya Tarasov. Nothing substantial could ever happen between Drea and I. But like I’ve said before, I was an expert at compartmentalising, so I was good at ignoring things until they became an issue.

In my mind, I still had six full months to spend with Drea. Getting to know her more. Understanding how her brain worked. Learning what made her happy. What made her sad. Enjoying the feel of her body against mine. The look on her face when she’d seen the bike course I’d put up for her was beautiful. It had given me this light, warm feeling in my chest that I’d never experienced before. Seeing her so happy made me happy. I just wanted to spend all of my time trying to bring that smile back.

My attachment to her was now out of control. Any time I was away from her, I felt…uneasy, twitchy. Like the longer I was away from her, the more anxious and angrier I became.

It didn’t bode well for when she left. I honestly couldn’t say how I was going to react.

And that terrified me more than anything.

Drea fidgeted at my side as we waited for her brother to arrive, her eyes glancing to the door and back repeatedly. We stood in one of many buildings the Bratva owned in downtown Las Vegas, a tense silence filling the air around us.

Was she as nervous as I was? Did she feel that same unbearable anxiousness I felt thinking about her leaving?

I wouldn’t know, would I? Because she was damn near impossible to read sometimes, to know what was going on in that pretty little head of hers. When she was overwhelmed with stress or anger, she was an open book. But in moments like this, when she had on this cool, calm façade, I had no idea what she was thinking.

I suppose I could always ask her, but a part of me was afraid to know the answer.

What if she wanted to leave? To never see me again? The thought kept bouncing around my head like a ping pong ball, making it impossible for me to relax.

Nik leaned against the wall behind me, staring at his phone, silent as always as he glared at the screen. He’d avoided me since our last conversation, refusing to give me the time of day because he knew I’d pester him about Tatiana.

And I would. I wasn’t going to let him shut me out again. I just had to wait for the right time.

The rattle of chains echoed around the room, Drea itching at the cuffs around her wrists. It was a precaution in case Juan tried to take her and run.

Surprisingly, Drea hadn’t put up a fight when I told her I’d be cuffing her. She’d actually smirked and told me she’d wished I did it when I fucked her.

The fact that she’d used past tense didn’t slip by me. It meant she expected to leave here with Juan, free of me.

The thought made a tight feeling spread across my chest. It felt like I couldn’t breathe.

The door opened suddenly, two men walking through.

“Juan!” Drea lurched forward, running for her brother. She abruptly stopped when the chain snapped tight less than a step away from me. She threw me an annoyed look over her shoulder.

Juan was similar to Drea in appearance; the same caramel skin and amber eyes, that same hardened expression I’d seen on her face numerous times before. Except his didn’t make me harder than steel. He was wearing black jeans and a sleeveless tank top, tattoos winding up both arms.

At his side was a tall, well built man with dark hair and dark eyes, and those eyes were currently plastered on Drea, longing burning in his gaze.

Who the fuck was this guy?

A dark, jealous possessiveness rose up within me, making my fists clench. The intimate way he was looking at her said all I needed to know.

They’d fucked.

I tightened the chain in my hand as a torrent of anger soared through me. It was connected to the cuffs around Drea’s wrists, keeping her tethered to me. A savage growl slipped from my lips at the thought of another man with his hands on her body. It made me so enraged I wanted to smash his face against the wall until blood oozed out of his ears and eyes.

“Zander.” I stiffened as Nik came up to my side cautiously. “You good?” he whispered, keeping his voice low.

I cracked my neck, pushing those feelings to the side. I’d deal with them and what they meant later. “Fine. Let’s get on with it.”

Nik stared at me for a few seconds more before he stepped back, going back to his position on the wall behind me.

“Drea,” Juan breathed out in relief, taking a step towards her.

Nik had his gun out and pointed at his chest before he could blink.

Juan raised his hands, showing he was unarmed. “I just want to hug my sister.”

Nik didn’t lower his gun, waiting for my approval.

“Aleksandr.” Drea stared up at me with those big, beautiful amber eyes, filled with desperation.

I groaned in irritation. Why did she have to go saying my name like that? I was incapable of denying her when she looked at me with such sad, pleading eyes.

I flicked my head towards Juan, giving her the permission she was searching for.

Gratitude shone over her face, a bright, beaming smile on her lips.

My heart thumped in my chest. Having her smile at me like that made it worth it, even though it was risky letting her get so close to her brother.

Juan studied us, brows lowered slightly as his gaze darted between the two of us. I unwound the chain around my hand as Drea moved away, giving her just enough slack to make it over to him.

“Hermano bebe,” Baby brother, Drea murmured, wrapping her arms around him.

Juan rolled his eyes, but a smile played across his face as he hugged her back. “How are you? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course.” When he pulled back, the man who’d come with him stepped forward, quickly embracing her.

“Glad to see you’re okay, Minx. I was worried about you.” The man whose name I’d yet to learn placed both hands on the sides of Drea’s face, his mouth descending on hers.

Oh, fuck no.

I yanked hard on the chain and Drea yelped, stumbling back to my side. I cupped the back of her neck possessively, a dark look in my eyes as I stared down this fucking dead man walking. He glared back, his hands lowering back to his side.

Drea grunted but didn’t fight me.

“Easy,” Juan said, narrowing his eyes. “We don’t want any problems. Just ease up. There’s no need to hurt her.”

“Am I hurting you, malyshka?” I asked Drea, my gaze sweeping to her brother.

“No,” she huffed. Her eyes cut to me, that familiar flare in her irises telling me she was annoyed but that she enjoyed the rough handling.

Juan’s frown increased as he studied us, calculation lying deep within the depths of his eyes. He decided to move on, introducing the man at his side.

“This is Logan.”

My whole body stiffened. Logan. This was the man who had his name on Drea’s body. On her fucking pussy. My hand tightened uncontrollably as a torrent of dark anger soared through me. Drea hissed softly, talking out of the side of her mouth so Juan wouldn’t hear her. “Okay, that one hurts.”

I loosened my hold immediately, cursing silently. I needed to get myself under control, but I found it difficult. I’d never felt this emotion before. Such pure, animalistic, jealousy. Possessiveness.

Never.

Logan sneered at me, his full attention still locked on my hand around Drea’s nape. Anger and jealousy vibrated from him, pulsing through the air.

I’d smirk if I wasn’t so pissed off by the whole situation. He was looking at me like I was the one stealing his woman.

Drea was fucking mine.

I didn’t want him looking at her, didn’t want them in the same room together. I didn’t want Drea thinking about her time with anyone else except me. I wanted to own all of her. Her body. Her thoughts. Her mind. I didn’t want there to be any reminder of her sexual past.

If I could, I’d wipe all her memories of the men who’d come before me, leaving only me behind.

Did that make me a bad man?

Probably.

Did I care?

No.

I wasn’t sure how to handle this new feeling quickly taking me over. I never gave a shit about any of the women I’d fucked before. I didn’t care if they were screwing someone else or if they ended things between us. It just rolled off my shoulders.

Things with Drea were different. I realised that the moment I had the overwhelming urge to pluck out Logan’s eyes for daring to look at her in such an intimate way.

“This is Nikolai.” I gestured to my brother behind me, who still had his gun pointed at Juan and Logan.

“What is it you want?” Juan asked.

Straight to the point. I liked him already.

I took a seat at the long conference table that separated us, herding Drea into the one next to me and keeping her close.

Juan watched with calculating eyes, seeing more than I originally wanted to reveal. He and Logan slowly sat down, their bodies tight and riddled with tension.

I leaned back, as casual as you please, resting a hand on the back of Drea’s chair. I picked up a lock of her hair, twirling it around my finger. “Your arrangement with the Outfit. Tell me about it.”

Juan scowled and clenched his jaw, the movement telling me he didn’t want to talk but knew he didn’t have a choice in the matter. “It wasn’t an arrangement. Nero kidnapped my sister and told me if I didn’t do what he said, he’d kill her. When he demanded men for a raid, I gave them to him. When he wanted access to our drug supply, he got it. Does that sound like a fucking ‘arrangement’ to you?” he shook his head, blowing out a breath. “Being second to the boss comes with privileges, and he had no problems providing what was needed to keep Drea safe.”

My eyes swept to Drea. Oh, that’s right. Her identity as Don was a secret, one I wasn’t meant to know.

She bit her lip nervously, anxiously awaiting my reply.

Don’t worry malyshka, I’m not going to give the game away.

“Once I heard about Nero’s death, we pulled back our men and supplies. I went looking for Drea but couldn’t find her anywhere. Turns out, you fuckers had her. Now tell me what you want for her.”

I continued to play with Drea’s hair, my head tilting to the side. What we wanted, they’d already given us. Well, at least one of them. Their ‘arrangement’ with the Outfit to stop. The second thing, well…

“You and your people made an enemy of the Bratva when you went after my sister.”

“That wasn’t—”

“I wasn’t finished talking.” Juan slammed his mouth shut, glaring at me. “Regardless of your reasons, you drew first blood. Not us. You attacked us at our home. Ruined my sister’s wedding. Kidnapped her and served her up to Nero to be raped. We’re well within our rights to kill you all and just go about our day like nothing happened.”

Juan and Logan reached for their guns, looking around the room anxiously, like they were expecting a group of people to burst in and shoot them.

Honestly? If he wasn’t Drea’s brother, I probably would have just done it myself.

“Lucky for you, we have no desire to continue this…feud.” Was feud the right word for it? I wasn’t sure. “The way I see it, we’ve each committed transgressions against each other. You’ve killed some of my men, I’ve killed some of yours. You kidnapped my sister, I kidnapped yours. The playing field is even in my book.”

Juan frowned, slowly putting his hand back on the table in plain view.

“The only thing we demand is a ceasefire between us.”

“That’s it?”

“As well as breaking off any and all contact with the Outfit. You’re not to aid them in any way.”

He was silent for a moment. His eyes flicked to Drea and back. “I need to speak to my sister. Alone.”

“Not going to happen.” I knew the reason why he wanted to speak to her without us around. It was so Drea could tell him what to do, whether to agree to my terms or not. She was the one in charge, not him.

Soft fingers wrapped around my arm, goosebumps pebbling on my skin. I looked down. Drea’s hand was on mine, her eyes giving me that same, sad pleading look as earlier.

God fucking damn it.

Irritation flowed through me. She was going to use that look any time she wanted to get her own way, I just knew it.

“Fine,” I gritted out through clenched teeth. “But he leaves too,” I said, pointing to Logan. There was no way I was leaving Drea alone if he was going to be in the room too, no matter what pretty look she threw my way. It wasn’t going to happen.

“Vete a la mierda, imbécil. No recibo órdenes tuyas.” Fuck you, asshole. I don’t take orders from you, Logan spat in Spanish.

“Logan, cállate.” Logan, be quiet. Drea snapped.

Dark eyes glared at me from beneath bushy eyebrows. Logan didn’t like being silenced, but he did it, snapping his mouth shut.

“Thank you, Aleksandr,” Drea whispered softly for my ears only.

I grunted, puffing out a breath.

Fuck, what was becoming of me?

I got to my feet, Drea, Juan and Logan following suit. I pulled out the keys to Drea’s cuffs and unlocked them, the metal clunking to the ground.

“You have five minutes, malyshka. Not a second longer.”